Anna Klumpke in Her Studio

American lesbian and painter Anna Elizabeth Klumpke (1856-1842) in her studio ca. 1885-90. Courtesy of the Frick Collection/Frick Art Reference Library Archives.

In 1908, Anna Elizabeth Klumpke published a biography of Rosa Bonheur (1822-1899), Sa Vie Son Oeuvre, meaning Her Life, Her Work. The biography was based on her own diary and Bonheur’s letters, drawings, and other writings. In the book, which was not published in English until 1998, Klumpke told the story of Bonheur’s life, where she had met Bonheur, how they had fallen in love, and how she had become the artist’s official portraitist and companion.